Fort Air Partnership (FAP) announced today it will remove sulphur dioxide and ammonia analyzers from its continuous monitoring station located on Range Road 220, about one kilometre north of Highway 15.
The move, approved by Alberta Environment and Parks, was made because the analyzers at the Range Road 220 station are providing redundant information. Also, the local industrial operations and conditions that originally required these analyzers at this station no longer exist. The analyzers stop operating on January 13.
“Local residents will not be affected by this change as we have other stations nearby to measure and provide information on the amount of airborne sulphur dioxide and ammonia. We will continue to have a good understanding regionally of these substances in the ambient air,” explained Nadine Blaney, FAP’s Executive Director.
Readouts for sulphur dioxide and ammonia at the station have been consistently low for six years and have not exceeded the provincial government’s objectives since at least 2003 when FAP began operating the station. The Range Road 220 station will continue to monitor for nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, nitric oxide, non-methane hydrocarbons, methane, total hydrocarbons, ethylene, wind and temperature.
The public can access near real time hourly readings at the Range Road 220 station and FAP’s eight other continuous air monitoring stations.